


He Said She Said

by BaseballbatofStydia



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Betrayal, F/M, Heartbreak, Romance, Slight Scira, Slight Stydia, maleo, season 5, some sexual content, tws5
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-04-14 15:40:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4570083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaseballbatofStydia/pseuds/BaseballbatofStydia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Malia Tate got involved in a physical, not-really-friends-with-benefits relationship with Theo Raeken, she was looking to stop her mind from always moving. Theo had been working on the plan, the great plan to bring down the McCall Pack. When feelings begin to form, both of them find that they're forced to reimagine everything they ever thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> So I had so much fun writing All the Things She Said that I decided to write a longer version in chapter form! I hope you like it!

****

Malia didn’t want to admit how tempting it was to go back to Theo and how hard it was to make herself stay away. She didn’t need to keep that up. A friends with benefits relationship? No thank you. She knew better than that.

  But every time she passed him in the hallway, she couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if she just pulled him into the closet or an empty classroom. When she saw him pull his books from his locker, she couldn’t stop thinking about what his hands could do. When she saw him lick his lips, she was overwhelmed by a hunger to kiss him.

  She had absolutely no feelings for Theo Raeken, she didn’t even like him, but she liked the sensations that came with him. The feeling of being able to stop thinking, to give into the animal inside of her, to instincts and passion and hunger.

 That hunger grew, though. Two days after their first encounter, she was walking in the hallway beside Lydia and Kira and stopped in her tracks when she saw one of the boys in the senior class with her grab Mason by the shirt and throw him against the locker.

  “Hey, fag. Where do you think you’re going?”

  Malia’s body tensed with anger and she was filled with the urge to throw the guy across the hallway. Mason was loyal, kind, smart. He was a part of their pack now and Malia wanted to protect him. But she knew that if she ripped his throat out in the middle of school there would be a few questions.

  “Wow, clever.” Lydia crossed her arms and walked to the guy. “You really think you’re special because you throw around nasty slang? Honey, it just shows that you have nothing but a marble rolling around where they should be a brain. I suggest you leave him alone.”

  Malia wanted to be at her side, telling him off, but she was too focused on not changing, on not leaping into action. She focused her thoughts on her anchor and let out a breath.

  And then came Theo. He grabbed the guy’s shirt and yanked him back, away from Mason. In one easy movement, he swept the boy into the row of lockers, his arm coming up to the kid’s throat. “Listen to me,” he said in a low voice. “You’re going to walk away. And if you ever say a word to Mason Hewitt again I will personally see to it that you can’t say another word to anyone. You get that?” The boy’s eyes were wide as he nodded. Theo threw him away from him. “Get out of here.” He looked at Mason. “Are you okay?”

  Mason’s eyes were wide. He nodded. “Intense.”

  Lydia gave a small, surprised, laugh and ducked her head, radiating with surprise and how impressed she was at his response.

  Mason shrugged. “Why should I care what that guy thinks when I have the McCall inner circle?”

  Theo raised his eyes to Malia, whose gaze was locked on him. His eyes seemed to be searching hers for a response. She wasn’t sure what her eyes were telling him, what kind of answer he was finding, but she knew that she was filled with an intense feeling of admiration and attraction.

  No, she didn’t have feelings for Theo Raeken. But this was certainly the closest she had ever come and probably ever would.

  “You coming, Malia?” Lydia looked back at her. “Class.”

  Malia jolted, turning to Lydia. “Yeah.”

  “Theo?” Kira asked. “Coming?”

  “I’m gonna be a bit late,” Theo replied. “Go on ahead.” Kira doubled back to give Mason a hug and then the other two swept Malia towards class. But her enhanced hearing allowed her to hear Theo speaking to Mason in a quiet voice. It was unbelievable. Theo Raeken was giving him a pep talk.

-         -

 

“I thought you weren’t coming back?”

  “Shut up.” Malia readjusted underneath him, her brown eyes watching him carefully.

  Theo shrugged. “Obviously, I don’t mind. I’m just surprised.” When he thought about it, he wasn’t really. He knew she’d be back eventually and it made sense that it was just after he’d defended a member of the pack. Naturally, she cared for them. It only made sense.

 What surprised him the most from today was how much he had honestly cared about Mason getting bullied. Mason was just a tool to his goal here, no one important, just a human.

  But was humanity really still demeaning people for things as stupid and shallow as who they loved? Even Theo understood how important and special love was and how powerful it could be, and he wasn’t exactly someone with a lot of feelings to spare.

  Mason loved just like normal people did and it was something to cherish, something to protect. The fact that people still didn’t seem to understand that bothered Theo, truly bothered him.

  _This is why I’m the way I am,_ he thought bitterly. _If I had to deal with humanity and the shit with it every day I would hang myself._

   “Well, then,” Malia said huskily, rolling over him. “It’s time to stop thinking.” Her lips found his chest and Theo closed his eyes, back arching with pleasure. “Unless you’d rather think?” She stopped and looked up at him, her eyes innocent, as if she didn’t know what she was doing to him. He gave her a hard look, unable to find the words. His chest was tingling where her lips had been seconds before and he once again had to wonder why she could do this to him; why her touch drove him crazy like it did. Why it made him thirst and yearn for more.

   She smirked and left a gentle, teasing bite on his throat. His fingers dug into her back. “Thinking’s over rated,” he replied quietly. Before he’d fully finished his sentence, her lips were on his and Theo didn’t care if he ever said another word.

-

 “I love you.”

  Malia froze, slowly turned her body to face him

In the passenger seat. “What?”

  Then gave her a slow grin. “I'm kidding.”

 She stared at him. “Are you serious? What- why? That's not even… I don't get the joke. Who says stuff like that?”

Theo laughed. “Relax. I read it in a book once. Sounded funny.”

 “Well it's not,” she replied hotly.

 Theo grinned and ran a hand through his hair. “Then, I'm sorry I got you worked up. I should have used one of the tactics I know you like.” He winked.

  Malia rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I can't stand you.”

  He chuckled, a low rumble in his throat that did more for Malia than she ever wanted to admit. “Sorry.”

  “I don't get you.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why do you care so much about this pack?” The question  had been bubbling up inside of her since she’d seen him with Mason. It was obvious that he did care. The question was why. What had they done to earn that response from him?

  Theo fell quiet. He glanced at her and when he answered, it was on a different topic. “Do you like dancing.”

  “What?”

“Do you like dancing?”

 Malia stared at him for a long moment before slowly replying, “Yeah, I guess. Yeah. I do. Wh-?”

  “When was the last time you went dancing?”

 Malia thought of Mexico, dancing with Kira, of the Bonfire, trying to get drunk. “It's been a while.”

  “Not Stiles’s scene?”

  “Not really.”

  “Let's go dancing.”

“Right now?”

“Would you rather do math homework at home?”

Malia thought about home, where the man that she loved and considered dad would check on her, joke with her. Where she had to think about the fact that she wasn't really his, think about who she did belong to. Her stomach twisted. “Fine.”

  “Yeah?” Theo’s eyes seemed to spark, almost like the idea made him honestly _happy_. That was the one thing that made Malia still suspicious. She had never truly seem _real_ and _genuine_ emotion from him. This was it.

“Yeah. Let’s go. But it’s not all ages night at the-”

“We’re not going there.” Theo looked at her and his eyes glinted again, making him look dangerous but not in the he-could-kill-you-way, more in the your-mother-warned-you-about-him way. But it only made her heart jump and race, not want to run away. “I know another place.”

  It was only about five minutes later that they officially exited Beacon Hills. Malia raised her eyebrows. “Where the hell are we-?”

   Theo grinned at her. “Do you ever relax?”

  Malia reared up, narrowing her eyes. “I can relax!”

  Theo gave a snort of laughter that only made her feel more indignant. “Malia. You don’t need to be on the offensive with me. We’re going dancing, not to get married. I am not asking you for any kind of commitment. I don’t want anything from you. You really don’t have to stress it, okay?” Malia stared at him for several minutes, trying to figure out the puzzle that was Theo Raeken. This only made him chuckle again, much to her agitation. “Malia, do you know how to relax?”

  “Yes,” she snipped.

  “What do you do to relax then?”

  “I don’t know. Stuff.” She looked out the window. “It doesn’t matter. Where are we going?”

  “Just the next town over. They have a good dance club.”

  -~-

The moment Malia walked into the club, she was overwhelmed with the smell of sweat and lust. That seemed about right. Her eyes raked over the people dancing together, mainly dirty dancing although there were some groups of friends just out to have a good time.

  A smile pulled at her lips at the thought of her and Lydia dragging Kira out here. Kira, who would stand in the corner until the other two pulled her to the dance floor. Kira, who, when all was said and done, was not at all a bad dancer. She was really good actually.

 “Ready for this?” Theo grinned at her. He slowly started moving to the dance floor. Malia hesitated only briefly before following.

  It was easy to fall into a rhythm with Theo, moving with him was as natural as breathing and that thought made Malia feel both uneasy and completely at ease. But instead of letting herself overanalyze, she gave into instinct and let her thoughts go.

  Theo’s hands twisted around her waist, sliding lower and lower, pulling her so close that she had no idea where her body ended and his began. She let her fingers twist into his shirt, finally getting a good enough grip on him to get him closer. His hand found her butt and she felt her heart jump.

  They smelled like the rest of the club now, sweaty and filled with lust. His lips found her jaw and slowly worked their way up to her ear. She pulled closer, moving her hands to grab ahold of his hair.

 Looking back, she wasn’t sure how long they had been dancing or how long they continued to dance before shoving their way into the empty bathroom. Her hands had hard handfuls of every part of him that she could grasp, hands desperately moving from one location to another as he pushed her against the stall.

  Her legs swung around his waist, using it to pull him closer as she roughened the kiss. And then Theo did something completely unbelieveable to her, at least at first. He gave a small laugh. Slightly irritated, Malia bit down on his lip, bringing a sound that was definitely not a laugh from his lips. But then, as he pushed her further into the wall, he did it again.

  Malia jerked away from him, eyes narrowed. “What?” she growled.

  “Relax,” he whispered, grinning at her, brushing her hair away from her face with the back of his hand. “Relax, coyote… Doesn’t a situation ever seem so… I don’t know, unbelievable that you have to laugh a little? Malia Tate, we’re straight up breaking the law. We are about to have sex in public.”

  She blinked at him. “And that’s funny?”

  “A little.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know.” He grinned at her and shook his head. “It’s not funny so much as euphoric. Like a drug.”

  Malia looked at him for a minute, still trying to understand; before she just decided that it wasn’t worth it and let her lips push against his again, as hard as she could. Immediately, Theo matched her, pushing her into the stall again.

 

\--

 

  Malia was an amazing dancer, that much was certain. They were back on the dance floor right after their bathroom detour and Theo was finding himself tempted all over again. Something about the way that she moved her hips, her waist, her arms, everything made him absolutely insatiable.

  Her back was to him, his hands on her waist, letting him had a pretty good view as well as a good feel of her movements. He pulled her to him, so that her waist was right against his. She was the perfect height for their bodies to align in just the right way.

  His lips moved down to her neck, to his favorite spot, the spot that would, without fail, make her eyes glow their true blue and nipped at the skin lightly. She gasped slightly, and started to stop and turn to face him but seemed to change her mind and resumed dancing. “That’s a dirty trick,” she murmured.

  “Is it now?” he asked lightly, teasingly. “I didn’t know…”

  “You know, you don’t want my eyes turning in here…” She said quietly, leaning into him.

  Theo felt his lips twist into a small smirk and pulled her closer. His lips brushed against her ear as he whispered, “They’ll just think they’re too drunk or high or seeing things…”

  She shuddered and looked at him over her shoulder. “Did you bring me here to dance to do other things? We keep getting distracted.”

  “Honestly? To dance. The other things just keep popping up.”

  Malia’s lips twitched, making it obvious that she was fighting a small. He wasn’t quite sure at what, but it amused him none the less. Finally, she let out a small laugh and covered her mouth. “That was your word choice?”

  “What?” he asked, eying her curiously.

  “Popping up?” She grinned up at him. “Theo, no…”

  He grinned slowly as he got the joke. “That is a dirty joke.”

  “I’m capable of making those.”

  “I honestly never would have guessed.”

  Malia smirked. “I’m full of surprises.”

  Theo watched her as she got back to dancing, turning away from him completely. He wondered how much the coyote girl would continue to surprise him.

 

~ ~

 

Malia stifled a yawn as she walked with Lydia and Kira down the hallway towards History. Lydia cocked an eyebrow at her, amusement showing in her green eyes. “You alright?” she teased.

  Malia nodded. “Yeah, I just up late.”

  “Clubbing until morning?” Kira joked.

  “She wouldn’t go without us,” Lydia replied, grinning at the other two. “Right?”

  “Of course,” Malia said easily. Lying to her friends might not be her favorite thing but it was much better than the alternative. Because there was no way that she was ever going to tell them that she had been out dancing with Theo Raeken. That was never going to happen.

  Speak of the devil. He walked passed them in the hallway and, as he did, his eyes raked over Malia. It was a short look, subtle, but to her it was the most obvious thing in the world. She couldn’t help but feel powerful in a sense that she had that hold over a boy that seemed so confident, so untouchable.

   She reached the doorway of the classroom and swore under her breath. “I forgot my book.”

  “Really?” Kira looked at her. “Want to use mine?”

  “No.” Malia shook her head. “I have notes in the margains. I’ll be right back.” She turned and headed back down the hallway, towards her locker. But she never made it there.

  Theo caught her around the waist and pulled her into Coach’s office, his mouth pressing hot and hard against hers. Malia kissed him back fiercely, surprised but not at all complaining, and jumped up, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist as he pressed her into the wall.

  When they were done, Malia pulled on her clothes and the thought occurred to her that he might have thought that she “forgot her book” instead of legitimately forgetting her book. As she walked to the door, she looked back at Theo, with his shirt just beginning to slide over his head. “By the way,” she said, cocking her head as she leaned in the doorway. “I really did forget my book.”


	2. Break Your Heart

 

Malia sat at the table, her finger sliding below the words as she read. If she failed History… Well, failing classes just wasn’t an option for her anymore. She wanted to be better than that. She wanted to graduate with her class, side by side, not have to wait to find out if she passed summer school.

A body dropped into the seat next to her. Theo Raeken. She felt her body tense automatically. Why did he always seem to show up at the wrong moments? “So. How are you holding up? I heard about you and-”

 Annoyance hit her like a wave and Malia rolled her eyes, not even bothering to look at him. “Believe it or not, I don’t care to talk about my ex-boyfriend with you.” She couldn’t help but notice the slight amount of bitterness that had crept into her voice at the word _boyfriend_.

  “You must want to talk to someone.”

    “If I feel the sudden and ridiculous urge to cry into a carton of ice cream, I’ll be calling Lydia and Kira, not you,” Malia snapped, still not even looking up at him.

  “Why would you call Lydia? We can both smell it on him, Malia,” Theo said quietly. “Those pesky feelings that just never quite-”

  Something in her snapped. She turned to him, fixing her eyes on his, hoping that he could feel her annoyance and irritation radiating into him. “What do you want?” It escaped as a growl, frustrating her at her inability to hide how much he had bothered her.

  No, she wasn’t stupid. She knew Stiles had feelings for Lydia. She had always known, she thought, but she had told herself that it didn’t matter. No one stayed with their first boyfriend anyways. But she hadn’t expected it to hurt so badly when she ended it: for both their sakes.

  “Careful,” Theo said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Better hide that coyote. The librarian won’t care for it like I do.”

  _Shit_. Malia turned her thoughts to her anchor, focusing on it, until she could feel the shift happen. She glared at him before looking back at her homework. “I have work to do, Theo.”

Theo’s fingers began to drum on the table. “I’m just saying,” he said simply, as if he wasn’t walking a thin line, as if he wasn’t making her pulse beat rapidly, “that he’s an idiot. If I were Stiles-”

  “You’re nothing like Stiles.”

  “Is that such a bad thing?”

 Malia had no answer for him. Was it? Was it really? She cared for Stiles, that was true… But he wasn’t perfect and she couldn’t exactly assume everyone was the same as him. Right? People were different. She knew that.

  “Listen.” Theo’s voice fell an octave lower as he leaned towards her. His scent overwhelmed her as he did so, something in her snapping to life, something that she didn’t like, something that she couldn’t even name. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I like Stiles but I think that he messed up. And if you need to talk…”

 “I’m fine.” Was he not listening? She didn’t want to talk, especially to him.

 “But if you _want_ to talk,” he insisted. “I’ve got a pair of ears that love to listen and I also have werewolf hearing. What a handy coincidence.” She couldn’t help it. A small smile started to pull at her lips when she pursed them instead, determined not to give him the reaction he was looking for. “I’ll let you study. But.” He grabbed her arm and Malia felt something like an electric shock shoot up her arm into her chest, shocking her just enough that she didn’t realize he was writing on her arm until it was too late to stop him. “So you don’t lose it.” And he walked out of the library.

Malia gave a small scoff, pushing a piece of hair out of her face. She looked down at her arm and rubbed at it automatically. She didn’t want it. But… Maybe it would be good to have? No. She didn’t need any help, especially from Theo Raeken.

 She found it annoyingly hard to concentrate then. She’d gaze at the book and then her eyes would slowly glide to the phone number written on her arm.

More than anything, she was surprised that she had allowed him to do it, surprised that she hadn’t punched him in the face for trying. But she hadn’t. Her mind drifted back to the electric shock that had grabbed her at his touch and she had to think back to a few of the moments with him in the past. He got her heart racing easier than she wanted to admit. She definitely found him attractive and something about him… Something got the animal in her just as excited as the human.

-

 

Theo sat in his car, listening to the radio and watching the doors of the school. She hadn’t left yet. He checked his phone. Nothing. That was fine. She’d come around to him. He was the only one she’d been confiding in recently. He was the one she’d come to.

  The doors opened and Malia walked out, short hair bouncing on her shoulders. She hesitated for a moment, standing on the steps. Her fingers played with the hem of her camo shorts as her dark, sad eyes made their way across the empty parking lot.

  Theo knew what she had to be thinking. She was wondering what to do and where to go. Stiles had been her ride, where she had dinner, where she did her homework- at least some of the time, if not most. It must have been hitting her that that comfort zone was no longer available to her.

  Whether he wanted to admit it or not, his heart went out to her. Well, not his heart. Theo was well aware of the fact that he didn’t really have one and that he had sold his soul to the devil a long time ago. But he felt empathetic, only he didn’t completely understand why.

  He rolled down the window and stuck his hand out. “Malia.”

  Her eyes shot to him and she hesitated briefly before adjusting the strap of her backpack and walking to his car. She opened the passenger door and then shut it as she landed on the seat.

  She was quiet, looking at her ratty converse on his floorboard.

 “Malia,” he said gently, “listen, I’m so-”

  He never finished his sentence. Because Malia did something that his plan hadn’t involved but that certainly didn’t hurt anything. She reached over, grabbed his face in her hands, and kissed him. He kissed her back without even hesitating. It was something that he had been wanting to do for a long time, something that he had been thinking about, yearning for, anytime they were within five feet of each other.

  Seconds stretched into minutes which then passed like pieces of leaves in the wind. And when Malia pulled away, it seemed like too soon. It hadn’t been long enough and his body still needed more. His eyes sought hers for an explanation but they gave none.

  After what seemed like years but could only have been seconds- a minute, tops-, Malia whispered, “I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to think.”

  “You don’t ha-” But it seemed like in this car, in this moment, with her, he couldn’t finish any of his sentences. Because her shirt came off and flew into the backseat and he didn’t need to finish. That was good because he didn’t want to finish, probably couldn’t finish.

  A smarter man would have stopped to wonder why she had this hold over him, why for the first time in a long time he wasn’t thinking about the plan, about self-preservation. Sure, this wouldn’t hurt the plan but that was an afterthought. He wasn’t thinking about anything involving the plan right then.

 Later, Theo would have wished that he were a smarter man.

Instead, he pulled his own shirt off and met her halfway in another kiss that was hungrier, more desperate. It was as if they both needed air that only the other one could supply. His arms wrapped tightly around her and he pulled them both into his backseat.

It was the first time that Theo could remember allowing himself to get swept into a moment.

It was definitely the most important time that he would ever do it.

 

\--

 

“I’m only using you.” Malia told him as her hands reached to her back to clip her bra.

  “That’s fine by me.” _You have no idea_. He eyed her as she groaned with effort, blew a piece of hair out of her face. “Bras seem complicated.”

  “You seem to have no trouble getting them off.”

  “That’s different.” He reached over and shooed her hands away, clipping it for her. “How do girls do this without looking?”

  “I could have gotten it,” Malia snipped, yanking her shirt over her head.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Stop that.”

 “Stop what?”

  “That tone, talking to me like I’m a child.” She pursed her lips, hesitating as she lifted her shorts. “Patronizing!” she exclaimed after a moment.

  Theo couldn’t stop himself from giving a small smile. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  She gave him a dirty look, as if she thought he was mocking her.

  “I mean it. I’m not like the others, Malia.”

  “Stiles doesn’t trust you.”

  “I know.” Theo pulled his belt through his belt loops. “But if you had a reason not to trust me, wouldn’t you know that I’m no good by now? I mean, couldn’t you smell it? Or hear it in my heartbeat? You’d catch one of the lies.”

  “You could just be good at it.”

  “I suppose so. But you don’t think I am.”

  She eyed him. “What makes you so sure?”

  He didn’t reply, instead pulling his shirt over his head. He heard her give a huff of annoyance at his refusal to answer and when he looked back at her, she was lacing her shoes.

  “See you around. And I won’t be back,” she said, putting her hand on the handle.

  “Don’t you want a ride?” he asked, lifting his eyebrows. “Is there really any harm in using me for a couple more minutes?”

  Malia hesitated, clearly tempted, but shook her head and climbed out. “No thanks.”

  “That’s a shame. I don’t really feel like driving.”

  She eyed him again.

 “You could drive.”

“Only for the practice,” she told him, moving to the driver’s side.

Theo climbed into the passenger’s seat. “Of course.”

\--

“That will never happen again,” Malia told him, turning into her driveway. “You know that, right?”

  “Sure.” The smirk on his face plainly told her that he didn’t believe her. She rolled her eyes as she put it in park. He could believe whatever he wanted, but he was still someone that she wasn’t sure she trusted. She wasn’t about to get close to him and have her heart broken if Stiles was right.

  She immediately felt annoyed with herself. It wasn’t like Theo Raeken would ever have the ability to break her heart. It just wasn’t going to happen. She knew better. There was no way. No way at all. Malia opened the door and got out.

  “Malia.” Theo got out and grinned at her. “You’re allowed to use the number anytime.”

  Malia gave him the most annoyed look that she could muster. “Trust me, Theo. I won’t be using it.”

  “Sure.”

  “I mean it.” She readjusted her bag on her shoulder. “Fine. Don’t believe me.”

  “I’m not entirely off here, Malia. I know you had fun.” Theo shrugged. “I’m just letting you know that I’d be willing to do that again.”

  “Wow. I had no idea you’d be willing to do that again. Hearing you say it changes everything,” she said, the sarcasm in her voice plain as day.

  Theo actually laughed, ducking his head and peering up at her, eyebrows raised, smiling fondly. It was one of the most attractive things she had ever seen and she immediately wanted to slap herself for it. “Fair enough.”

  “See you.” She grabbed her bag and walked into the house.

  Henry looked up at her. “Hey. How was school?”

  “Fine. How was your day off?”

  “Boring.”

  Malia gave him a small smile and dropped her book bag. “I finished my homework already.”

  “Is that what took so long? You’re awful late today.”

  “Yeah. I was at the library.”

  “Oh. I assumed you were with Stiles.”

  Malia hesitated and pursed her lips, glancing at the floorboards. “Actually… Stiles and I are no longer… We’re no longer a concern for you.” She ran her fingers through her hair, once again surprised to find it so much shorter than it had once been. It amazed her that she was still so surprised. Shouldn’t she be used to it by now?

  “Malia… Are you okay?”

  The sound of her father’s voice jerked her back to the conversation- the dreaded conversation- about Stiles. Stiles. Her heart was racing at the mere thought. _Are you okay?_

  “I’m fine.” She forced a smile. “I ended it actually, so… Yeah. I’m fine.”

  “First relationships are still hard, sweetie.”

  “I don’t see why. Obviously we weren’t going to get married.”

  “It’s hard to think that way when you’re in the middle of it.”

  Malia shook her head. “No, Dad, I’m fine. Honest. There’s no point to crying. It’s over.”

  Henry eyed her, as if he was having a hard time believing her. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

  Malia hesitated. She was only just beginning to understand the point of watching movies. At first it had seemed an extreme waste of time but after several sleep overs with the girls, she’d realized that it was the point of getting away from life. Life had certainly been crazy enough today to warrant an escape.

   Theo swarmed her thoughts. Theo’s hand on her back, slipping down, lower. Theo’s lips on hers, moving to her neck, then to her shoulder. Theo’s arms tightening around her as he removed her shorts.

  “Yeah. I’d like that.” To stop thinking would be a wonderful thing.

Forty minutes later, Malia was more engrossed in the plot Blades of Glory than she ever wanted to admit.

 “So… They hate each other and they still have to work together? That’s horrendous.”

  Henry chuckled. “Sometimes the people you don’t really like… Well, sometimes that’s why you don’t like them.”

  Malia looked at him and furrowed her eyebrows. “I’m not following.”

  “You work well together. You don’t like a person because they have something to offer you, something you don’t want to admit that you’re lacking. You know? Sometimes they remind you of things that you want to do, or things that you know that you’re missing. Sometimes the way someone compliments you comes off as a threat.”

  Malia hesitated and gave a small nod as she turned back to the movie. Once again, Theo entered her thoughts, which only irritated her. She didn’t want to think about Theo Raeken. What was even the point of giving him a second thought? He had nothing to offer her. He didn’t apply to this conversation, right?

  Her phone buzzed and everything in her tensed and twisted. Had Theo gotten her number? Was he wanting to meet back up? Something about the thought got her heart racing. _This cannot be healthy._

  She grabbed her phone and looked at the screen. “Hang on, Dad. It’s Lydia. Hello?”

  “Hey, Malia. So listen, I just got off the phone with Kira. We want a sleep over tonight. Can you swing it?”

  Malia felt her mouth twitch into a smile. “Lydia, it’s Tuesday.”

  “I know what day it is. But… Look, I know you said you don’t want to talk about Stiles and that’s okay. You don’t have to. But as your friends we still need to be there for you. So Kira and I will be there. We are bringing ice cream and the Notebook, although we understand that you may not want to use either. So we’re also bringing Cursed.”

  “What the hell is Cursed?”

 “A really bad movie about a werewolf eating people. Kira found it in the five dollar bin.”

  “Why is that necessary?” Malia asked, not wanting to admit that that actually sounded appealing.

  “And since I know that that’s Malia for _I want in on that_ we will be there in forty minutes.”

  Malia chuckled as she hung up and put her phone down. “Kira and Lydia are coming over.”

  “Girl night? About the breakup?”

  Malia hesitated. “Yes. I don’t know why everyone is so determined that I’m not okay.”

  Henry chuckled.  “They care about you. So do I.”

  Malia gave a small nod. “Okay. Um. So let’s push play.”

-         - -

  Theo lay in bed, hands folded behind his head, and stared at the ceiling. _A little improve never killed anyone,_ he told himself.

 So what if he differed from the plan? It wasn’t like it was such a big deal. It wouldn’t do anything but help. Getting Malia to trust him, getting her on his side, this would be a good thing. It would get him closer to Scott.

   Besides, maybe he was what she needed to get over Stiles.

 Theo rolled his eyes at the thought. He didn’t care about making her feel better. For crying out loud, he was going to break her heart after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!


	3. Dirty Little Secret

 

 

  “So, are we still doing shopping and studying this weekend?” Lydia asked, leaning against a locker as Malia opened hers.

  “Yeah.” Malia pulled out her history book. She could feel eyes tearing into her back, smell something faint that could only be described as a sick kind of yearning. Slowly, she turned around to see Theo walking past. He sent her a cool smirk that sent a chill up her spine. She narrowed her eyes at him, giving him a cold, indifferent look back. His smirk lifted slightly as he walked past, his hand slipping subtly into her back pocket.

   As he walked away, Malia turned back to her locker, shutting it loudly. Lydia eyed her quietly, not saying a word but obviously wanting to. Malia sighed and looked at her. “What?”

  “What do you think of Theo?” Lydia asked carefully, as if she already knew the answer. The question alone made Malia tense, making her grateful that Lydia wasn’t a werewolf.

  Malia shrugged. “Stiles doesn’t trust him. Scott’s not certain. I guess I’m not really certain either. Maybe he’s bad, maybe he’s fine, but either way I doubt I’ll be spending a lot of time with him. He’s sort of shady, cocky.”

   Lydia gave her a mischievous grin as they started walking to class. “Cocky is not always a bad thing, Malia.”

  “You’re disgusting.”

  “There is no way you didn’t think of it. I’m just saying, be careful with him. But if he’s not a threat…. He is really hot, like really hot.”

  Malia rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing to be careful about, Lydia. Nothing is going on with Theo. I promise.”

   Lydia eyed her again, as if she didn’t quite believe her but didn’t not believe her either. “Okay. If something was though, you could tell me.”

  “I know.” When Malia was seated at her desk, she pulled the note that Theo had slid into her back pocket out and opened it. **Car at lunch??**

   Malia bit her lip and tried not to smile as she slid it back into her pocket, wondering why in the world it made her want to smile so much.

 

-         -

 

Malia was still breathing heavy, running her hands over Theo’ muscled back, as she rested her head against the seat. She turned her head to the side and found herself looking down at the floorboard of Theo’s backseat. The pile of stuff was almost at the height of the seat itself, making it look as if Theo lived out of his car.

 “When was the last time you cleaned your car?”

 “I am so begging you not to talk about my car right now.” Theo pressed his lips against her shoulder, as if trying to distract her. “We could just go again instead…”

  Malia’s eyes fluttered shut. “Not gonna work.”

  “Why not?”

  She swore in that moment that his voice actually drew out, as if he were whining. She pushed him up above her slightly and raised her eyebrows at him. “Did you just whine at me?”

  Theo gave her a dirty look. “It is my car. It can be in any condition I want it in.”

  Malia snorted. “Yeah, okay. Just know it’s disgusting. One of these days I’m cleaning it.”

  “This is my space,” he told her with a ‘stern’ tone that she immediately disregarded. “You may not touch my space.”

 “Funny,” Malia said, meeting his gaze. “I thought you liked it when I touched your space.”

 They held eye contact for a few minutes with straight faces until they both had to look away, snorting with small laughs. “That is so dirty!” He chortled, grinning into his fist.

 Malia laughed, a real belly laugh, and threw her head back. “I can be dirty,” she replied, grinning at him. “I've certainly done some dirty things in this car.”

  “The dirtiest was in that bathroom,” Theo replied, smirking at her.

  Malia snorted. “Yeah, you thought that was real funny.”

  “Are you still mad about that?”

 “No. Being angry would imply that I cared which I-” Malia broke off into a moan as Theo’s lips found her neck. “-don't...” she finished her previous thought, digging her fingers into his back. “Are you going to make me late for class?”

  “That's up to you… How much action do you want?” he whispered, teasing trailing his fingers down her stomach. “We can be fast…. Or.” And then he did something that made her gasp and bite her lip.

  “I can be late,” she murmured, pulling him closer.

 

-          -

 

“I'm not fooling around.” Theo crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

  The doctors clicked at him in response. “She is not part of the plan.”

  “She's part of _my plan_!” Theo snapped. He had to stop then, think for a moment. That made it seem like he was compromised, like he’d developed feelings for the young coyote girl. “I don't mean it like that, don't get excited.” He had to choose his words carefully. Shit, what had he done? “To get a pack,” he said slowly. Yeah. That had to have been what he meant. “She's the werecoyote. If I can get her to unleash her power-“

  “Too much time with her,” they clicked.

 “Oh?” Theo glared at them. “And who decides that? We have a deal. A pack is my payoff. So let me find one. Malia Tate is part of it. I know it. She's an animal. She's like me.” She has to be. But he didn't say that. No, he didn't even want to admit to himself that what he most wanted from the coyote girl was someone who was like him.

 

-         -

 

 

  Theo lay across his back seat, chest heaving. “Don’t worry,” he said breathily. “I know you’re only here for the practice.”

  Malia’s eyebrows raised as she looked at him. Once again, they looked each other dead in the eyes with serious faces for a couple of minutes until they both dissolved into laughter. She dropped her head onto his chest and his arms laced around her waist.

  “Driving,” he choked out through the laughter. “I meant driving.”

  “Sure.” She grinned at him. “You just wish it was for something else.”

  He grinned and rolled onto his side, pinning her to the seat. “I know it is.”

  “Maybe that’s just extra.”

  “The driving’s just extra.”

  “I’ll believe that when this happens away from school.” She smirked confidently and brushed her lips across his jaw. “The club doesn’t count.”

  Theo closed his eyes. “Hmm… I suppose that’s fair…” He pressed his lips to her neck, a spot where he could be sure to get his favorite reaction, which he did. Her eyes glowed through the darkness. He couldn’t believe that they were still here. They’d met up after the parking lot had emptied and now, close to ten, they were still in the car. “I could teach you,” he whispered into her skin, running his fingertips up and down her thigh.

  “Teach me?” she whispered, her eyes slowly changing back to their usual brown.

  “How to change back. To your other form.”

  “Scott taught me to control my shift.” Malia looked at him questioningly, almost challengingly, as if daring him to question Scott. Scott. As if Scott was really that good of an alpha, muffling his pack like he did.

  “I’m not talking about controlling your shift.” Theo looked her in the eyes and watched as a look of realization washed over her.

 “You could?”

 “I could.”

  “And you would?” she asked suspiciously.

  “I would.” He traced his fingertips to her knee, watching her for her reaction.

  Her heartbeat increased, she now smelled of longing and desire and something even stronger- hope. “Okay.”

 “Okay.” Theo’s lips wandered to hers and he met her in a kiss. Her lips moved against his almost urgently, as if she were seeking something in him. Who knew, maybe she was. Theo’s fingers knotted into her hair, pulling her closer to his. Her skin was hot and sweaty against his as they moved together, Malia pushed her way on top.

Theo liked this, how they had these stolen moments before school, between classes, during lunch, after school, always switching times so no one got suspicious. He liked that in the past week and a half they had begun to do it so often that he knew how her body moved with his, knew how her mouth worked against his, how long it typically took before her tongue became part of the equation.

  He liked that he knew her.

   Malia’s legs hooked around his hips as she settled over him. Theo ran his hand over her thigh and broke the kiss for a moment, surprising himself, offering her a crooked smile. “Maybe I should offer to help you more often.”

  “Don’t ruin it,” she murmured, teeth nipping at his ear.

  Theo let out a low groan, body arching into hers. He wasn’t sure why he had stopped to _tease_ her. It was almost, _almost_ , as if he wanted more than a physical connection. But that was ridiculous.

  His lips found hers again, the heat between them growing as they both hungrily raised themselves off the seat, his arms locking around her.

  No. That was absolutely ridiculous.

 

-           -

 

“They’re so pretty,” Kira sighed, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

  “The boys or the wolves?” Lydia asked, eyebrows arched as she watched the screen. “Because I personally can’t decide.”

  Malia snorted with amusement as she took a bite of her Hershey bar. “The boys,” she answered.

 At the same time, Kira replied, “The wolves.”

  The three girls fell into a moment of silence that didn’t last long before they roared into laughter. Malia slapped her thigh as she threw her head back.

  It was ridiculous to her that boys fantasized about girls giggled quietly together. No, when girls really laughed together, they laughed like this and there was nothing lady like about it. Kira was legitimately snorting, Malia was gasping for breath, and Lydia had fallen off of the couch. And this was over something that wasn’t even that funny. It was just over the euphoria of spending Friday night with the girls after a very long week, during a very stressful time.

   Malia settled back against the couch as Lydia climbed back onto it and Kira let out another small laugh as she pulled a pillow into her lap. “Man, this movie.”

  “It’s completely ridiculous,” Malia said, eyeing the girls as if they didn’t know and needed to be told.

  Lydia grinned at her, eyebrows raised. “Well, we know that. It’s _Eclipse_ , Malia. Everything about it is insane. But it’s amusing.”

   Malia gave a small grin. “As long as we all know.”

  “We totally do,” Kira replied with a grin. “That’s what’s fun about it. But the wolves really are pretty.” She let out a sigh.

  “Yeah, so are that boy’s abs,” Lydia said.

  Malia grinned at her and highfived her without even looking. She was sort of amazed at how far she had come in the adjustment to this life, at how easily she could do something like high five and not think about how stupid it was. She had come _so far_.

   “Do you ever wish you could do that?” Kira glanced at Malia.

  “Do what? Touch his abs? Sure.”

  Lydia laughed again.

   “No.” Kira gave them an amused look. “Turn into a full coyote, like you used to. I know you used to want to know. Do you still? You have to miss it.” Kira’s voice grew quiet, as if she was afraid she’d crossed a line.

  Malia grew quiet as well for a moment, thinking it over. “I still want to,” she said slowly. “It’s just been put on the back burner. Too much as happened.” She played with the fringe at the end of her shorts. “But I do miss it. The freedom, the speed… I, uh, I’m working on it.”

   As if on cue, her phone buzzed at her side. Malia grabbed it, glad for a reason not to look at the looks of pity on the girls’ faces.

  **_How are you?_**

  Malia didn’t even stop to think that it was odd that Theo texted her such a normal, non-sexual thing. It felt natural. She rolled her eyes and typed back, _Fine._

**_I’m good, too. Thanks for asking._ **

_Shut it._

**_Your wish is my command, Coyote. Now, speaking of your wish…._ **

Malia’s stomach twisted with anticipation. Was it about changing back?

  When her phone buzzed again, she raised her eyebrows at a picture of his bicep. She rolled her eyes.

  _Cute._

**_Oh, is that not it?_ **

_Hmm. I wonder._

_**My bad. Oh. It must be the coyote thing.**_

_Must be, huh? How strange._

_**Sarcasm looks good on you, my dear.**_

**** _Shut up. Be real for a minute._

_**Why?**_

Malia pulled a face, staring at her phone. Why? Because messing around is waste of time? Because there are important things to do? Because instead of jokingly using pet names, they could be making plans to teach her something useful?

  **_Malia. When will you learn to relax?_**

She scowled, wanting to tell him to suck a dick. They’d been over this. She knew how to relax.

  **_Alas. Fine. Doing anything tomorrow? Other than your instructor of course._**

_Remember. Nothing in life is guaranteed. And I’m not doing anything tomorrow._

_**Oh-ho! Very nice. Rude, but very nice. Fine. Lesson learned. Should I get you at noon?**_

Malia glanced at the girls, caught Kira watching her curiously, and ducked her head immediately. _Actually, I’ll meet you._

_**In the middle of the woods?**_

**** _I can track your scent._

_**Or.**_

_Is there a reason you want to pick me up?_

**_Other than the obvious reason of “it’s easier”?_ **

_Fine. Okay. Outside my house. Noon._

_**I’ll be waiting with baited breath.**_

Malia rolled her eyes and put her phone on the couch next to her, turning her eyes to the movie.

  “Who was that?” Kira asked.

  “No one.”

  “Uh uh.” Lydia paused it and looked at her. “Is it a boy?”

 “No.” Malia scowled. “I don’t have time for that.”

   Kira eyed her. “It’s a boy.”

  “It’s totally a boy,” Lydia agreed.

  Malia rolled her eyes. “No. It’s about Chemistry.”

  “I bet it is.” Kira wiggled her eyebrows jokingly.

  Malia gave the girls an amused look. “Chemistry, the class. For crying out loud.”

  “We just support you if you’re getting action,” Lydia stated.

  Malia chuckled and shook her head. “Push play.”

  As the movie rolled, she couldn’t help but feel torn. She didn’t want her friends to know about Theo, absolutely not. He was a secret, something that was only hers and that she wanted to keep from everyone else. No one should know about what she was doing with Theo.

  At the same time, they were her best friends and she wanted to be able to share this with them. She wanted to sit with them and tell them _everything_ and it was a new feeling for her. She didn’t used to understand the point of things like that but she was learning from Kira and Lydia. Sharing things was what friendship was.

  She settled against the couch, twisting a piece of hair around her finger. Theo would have to stay her dirty little secret.

 

-         -

“Good morning, Coyote,” Theo said as Malia slid into the passenger seat the next morning. “I got you something.” He offered her a paper cup with a lid on it.

  Malia took one whiff of it and scowled. “I hate coffee.”

  “I know. But I think this might suit your tastes better.” He tried to give it to her again. “If all you’ve ever tried is black coffee, you might like this. Give this a taste.”

  She hesitated before taking a sip. Surprise rushed through her the moment it touched her taste buds. She’d been preparing for the harsh bitter taste of coffee but instead it was sweet and sort of milky. “What is this?”

  “It’s coffee. With milk, sugar, and caramel.”

  She took another drink, longer this time. It _was_ good. When she looked up, Theo was smiling at her, eye brows raised as if he were amused. “What?” she sighed.

  “Nothing. I just thought you’d like it.” He pulled out of her driveway. “I was going to ask if you wanted to drive but you look half dead. Didn’t go out clubbing without me, did you?”

  Malia rolled her eyes, taking a drink again. “I watched bad werewolf movies with Lydia and Kira all night.”

  Theo gave a small snort of laughter. “Twilight?”

  “Among others, like Cursed. That movie had the worst graphics I have ever seen.”

  “When the coyote starts judging graphics, you know there’s a problem,” Theo chortled. Malia shot him an amused look before taking another drink. “That will help with being tired,” he told her. “Caffeine’s good like that.”

  “Thank God,” she muttered, taking another drink.

  “Do you believe in God?” he asked suddenly.

   Malia glanced at him through narrowed eyes curiously. “Why?”

  “Just curious.” He gave a casual shrug.

   She hesitated. “Yeah. I used to go to church with my family when I was little. My dad’s stopped going, though. The accident messed him up…” She trailed off before shaking her head. “Anyway, yeah. I do.”

  “Why?”

  “What?”

  “Why? I mean, I can’t help but side with your dad here. After everything your family went through, how can you believe in a kind and benevolent God?”

  “I believe in a _just_ God,” Malia replied. “And I guess because it’s harder not to. After everything I’ve seen, everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve done…. It’s easier to believe that someone’s up there controlling things. It’s… I want to believe that I can be forgiven.”

  Theo eyed her. “You don’t have anything to be forgiven for.”

  “My eyes are blue, aren’t they?”

  Theo shrugged.

  “Then I have something to be forgiven for.” Her finger circled the top of the cup. “I’m assuming you don’t, then?”

  “No, I don’t.” Theo parked the car in the middle of the woods and looked at her. “Ready?”

   “Yeah.” Malia got out, expected Theo to turn the car off, but he didn’t. Instead, he rolled down the windows. “Are you getting out?”

  Theo grinned at her and turned the volume on the radio up, then got out. “Yup.”

  “Really?”

  “Hey. Come on. Music can play in the background. We’ll montage this.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She walked in front of the car. Theo kept grinning at her as he met her there. “So, where do we start?”

  “Where we always do.” Theo gave her a charming smirk that made Malia’s insides twist with excitement. “With control.”

 

 


	4. Who Am I To Say?

"What are you doing tonight?" Theo's finger traced small circles over Malia's ribcage, his fingertip as light on her skin as if he were using a feather. He peered up at her through his lashes, eyes actually looking innocent, even though he had been doing unspeakable things just ten minutes before.

Malia eyed him curiously, letting her teeth graze over her lip as she thought about the answer. "Nothing... Why?"

"My parents are out of town..."

Malia's eyebrows shot up. "Oh? Is that an invitation to your house?" She let her leg slowly slide up his, relishing the feeling of her bare skin on his. Her leg came to rest hooked over his hip. "That's a little intimate, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Theo's lips ran over her neck, only barely touching skin, until finally coming to rest at the crook between her neck and shoulder. He kissed that spot, somewhere between teasingly and tenderly.

Malia's eyes fluttered shut, her body arching into his. "Compared to this?"

"It only means more room... " He looked at her, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Imagine what we could do with that..."

"I should say no..."

"That means yes..."

She couldn't stop the small grin from fighting its way on her mouth and gave his arm a small smack. "Shut up."

"What?" Theo grinned coyly at her. "Is it so bad that I know you?" He bit at his lower lip and leaned against the back of the seat, his muscled arms tightening around her as he did so.

Malia raised her eyebrows at him, leaning down and brushing her lips over his jaw. "You keep me around because of what I can do... Not because you care about knowing me."

"Trust me. I'm aware." Theo smirked at her and leaned towards her. "Coyote, you seem like you're afraid that I'm getting attached."

"I just want to make sure we're on the same page," she said quietly, breath catching in her throat at the closeness between them. Theo was millimeters apart, so close that nose would be touching hers if his face were at the right angle.

"Trust me, Coyote..." His teeth grazed her lip. "We couldn't be more on the same page... No commitment, no romance."

Malia let her eyes flutter shut, her fingers digging into his back, feeling her body arch into his again. "Well, then," she whispered. "I could stand to be late for class again..."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Theo's eyes flashed with hunger and longing as his lips came crashing into hers.

~

"Okay. What are you hiding?" Kira leaned across the library table. "Malia, we're not stupid and we care about you. "Lydia and I just want to know that you're okay."

Malia sighed and looked up at Kira through her lashes. "I'm fine. Kira, I'm not hiding anything."

"Okay. What are you doing tonight?"

Malia tensed, wet her lips. "Watching a movie with my dad." She knew that Kira knew that she was lying. The other girl shook her head and looked down at the table.

"Malia, I don't understand why you don't trust us."

Malia felt something rip at her heart. "I do, Kira."

Kira looked at her phone and sighed. "I have to meet Scott." She got to her feet. "Look, Malia. I'm not angry. I just don't understand. When you decide you're ready, we're here, okay?" Malia looked up at her friend, feeling more torn than she had ever imagined it possible to feel. Kira gave her one last sad glance before going outside.

~

Theo sat positioned on the counter, glancing around the house. He may not want to admit it but living in this house alone all the time, without parents around, without anyone... It took a toll.

He leaned against the cupboard and let out a slow breath, glancing at the clock. 7:04. No. Nope. No way. He was not going to become one of those guys who watched the clock and wondered when the girl was going to get there. They hadn't decided on a time so it didn't matter. Even if they had and she blew him off it didn't matter.

He was not, not, _not_ going to be one of those guys.

He didn't care if she showed up at all. So what if the house could get a little lonely? He was used to it.

Theo groaned to himself, wishing the noise in his head would stop, that he could stop thinking.

Thinking and feeling.... Those two things were always his biggest problem.

Thank God for the doctors.

He finally shook his head, leaped onto the back of the couch and then jumped up. He grabbed a hold of the rafters and threw himself into pull-ups. It wasn't until he was breathing hard and his hands were so sweaty that he might accidentally drop that he let go, falling into a crouch on the floor.

He pushed himself to the feet and glanced at the clock then swore at himself under his breath. "Knock it off, Theo," he growled. He started to go upstairs but hesitated on the second step, instead turning and darting to his phone. He hit the home button. Nothing new.

He threw her a quick text. **_Feel free to just walk in when you get here._**

Music. He needed music. Of course that was why he picked it up, Malia had been an afterthought. He plugged it into the home speaker and turned it up. He took a breath then raced up the stairs, practically throwing himself into the shower.

The water ran down his body and as Right Round came on through the speakers, his thoughts shifted back to Malia. They hadn't had the chance to shower together. Maybe they'd be right here in this very shower later tonight?

Malia was _good_. It was like every wild and bloodthirsty instinct she had came to light when she was with him, like she gave into everything she'd ever felt desire for, like she took it all out on him.

He thought of the way that her hands would slide over his chest, over his back, as if she were trying to decide what the best place to dig her nails or claws in. If they weren't weres, he knew she would leave marks. But that was alright because he would certainly return the favor.

Malia moved in such a way that he almost wished that he could just stand off to the side and _watch_ her, which he had never wanted with another girl before. No one had ever captivated him or made him quite as... quite as...

Theo reached to the handle, yanking it so that cold water sprayed over him instead of hot. He shuddered at the sudden rush of cold water, regretting this decision.

Holy shit.

"Shit, it's steamy in here." The shower curtain opened and there was Malia, dressed in her usual shorts, boots, and top. She smirked as her eyes raked over him. "I didn't think you'd start without me."

Theo rolled his eyes. "Well, you're welcome to join me."

"Don't mind if I do." Malia pulled her shirt over her head and discarded it onto the floor. She touched the water and raised her eyebrows. "It's cold." She bit her lip flirtatiously. "Thinking about me?"

Theo rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her into the water, ignoring the fact that she was mostly dressed still. His hand went to her shorts, unbuttoning them as he looked into her eyes intently. Her breath caught in her throat and, as she got it back, she reached behind him and adjusted the water.

"You didn't have to do that," he muttered into her neck.

"Let me guess," she murmured. "You'd warm me up?'

"It's like-" he murmured back, biting into her neck as he pushed her into the wall, grabbing her thigh and pulling it up.

"What?" Malia interrupted. "Like I know you? Honestly Raeken, is it so bad if I know you?" She grinned wickedly and pulled his lips to hers. Theo decided right then and there that if this was Malia relaxed it should happen more often.

~

"My clothes are soaking." Malia arched an eyebrow at Theo as she lifted her still wet shorts. "So then, genius, guess what that means?"

"I'm guessing that I'm not lucky enough that it means you'll walk around the house naked?" Theo asked, arching his eyebrow right back.

"Nope. You just sacrificed a shirt." Malia turned and walked out of the bathroom. Theo looked after her, ducking his head with a grin. She was fiery, that was for sure. He walked after her and opened a drawer. He pulled out a pair of boxers and offered them to her. She eyed them then took them and slid into them then pulled on one of his black t-shirts.

Theo decided right then that the only thing sexier than Malia without clothes was Malia in _his_ clothes.

He pulled on a pair of boxers, a shirt, and a pair of sweats and then started downstairs.

"Where are you going?" Malia called after him.

"Come on," he replied. "Trust me."

"Most dangerous words ever spoken," muttered Malia, walking after him.

Theo smirked to himself as he led the way into the living room. He went to the coffee table and lifted the stack of horror movies that he had collected. He grinned at her.

Malia raised her eyebrows, hands on her hips. "Okay? What is... Is there a reason?"

"Well... To be watched."

"By us? Why?" Malia reached over and took one of the DVDs off of the stack and out of his hands. "These are horror movies. Theo, there is no point to horror movies when you live in Beacon Hills."

"Sure there is." He opened the DVD player and took one of them from her. Theo flashed his white teeth at her in a mischievous grin. "Survival tips." He winked at her and placed the disc in the tray.

Malia sighed and sat on the couch, pulling her knees to her chin as her arms wrapped easily around her shins. "Okay, I see I have no say."

"Absolutely none." He threw himself onto the couch beside her and grinned. "I guarantee you are going to have fun."

"And if I don't?" Malia cocked an eyebrow at him.

Theo smirked. "I'll make it up to you."

"You better," she muttered, casting her eyes to the TV screen. "What is this anyway?"

"Hostel," Theo replied. "Violent, scary, bloody. Fun, fun, fun."

Malia rolled her eyes. "Fun, right. You need a dictionary." She leaned back and watched the story unfold infront of her.

It wasn't bad. It wasn't scary, but it wasn't painful to watch either. It was sort of fascinating and she found that she liked the jump scares. She liked her heart pounding and the rush of adrenaline without actually being in danger for once. She actually was completely entranced by the film until she felt something collide with her.

She looked to her left to see Theo leaning into her, staring at the screen with a look of disgust and horror. A small smile pulled at her lips as she realized, with a sick tingling of something like glee, that Theo was actually spooked, at the very least.

Her eyes narrowed at him as she got an idea. Was the idea going to send her straight to hell? Probably. Did she mind? Nope. Was she going to do it anyways? Oh, hell yes.

She could feel her eyes flash as her claws came out and she grabbed him by the shoulder, letting out a blood curdling snarl. Theo yelped and threw her automatically onto his other side on the couch, swinging so that he was pinning her. Malia let her claws go back in, shaking with laughter as she watched his eyes go back to their usual color and realization flood his features.

His eyes narrowed. "Why the hell did I not see that coming?"

Malia shook her head, unable to respond as the laughter shook her body and she gasped for air. Theo snorted out a breath and leaned back, casting her an "angry" glare. She pretended for his sake not to see the amusement behind his eyes as she pushed herself up, still choking on laughter. "That was amazing," she coughed out. Trying hard to reign the laughter back in, she leaned back against the couch beside him and let out a snort against her will.

Her eyes widened and her hand clamped against her mouth as Theo slowly looked at her, a grin sliding over his face. "Did you just snort?" he asked, his eyes alight with glee. Malia shook her head, staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights. "You did! That was adorable!"

"You're not supposed to think I'm adorable," she replied hotly. "Couples think the other one is adorable. You're supposed to think I'm sexy."

Theo grabbed her thighs and pulled them towards him, sending her falling onto her back as he climbed over her, her legs coming to rest on his hips. "Maybe I thought it was sexy too. Maybe I think adorable is sexy."

"No one thinks adorable is sexy."

"Remember, I don't like rules." His lips found her neck and Malia's eyes fluttered shut. "I do and think whatever the hell I want to."

Malia put her hands against his chest and slowly pushed him away, biting her upper lip and flashing him a smirk. "Mmm... Nice try hotshot. But you wanted to watch the movies so guess what? We're watching them. Blood and gore don't really turn a girl on."

"Damn." Theo grinned at her and planted a quick kiss on her lips, his tongue slipping through for just a second. He pulled her up with him and leaned against the couch. Malia hesitated only briefly before leaning into him, her head coming to rest on his upper arm.

Theo gazed down at her, enraptured by her in that moment. She actually looked at ease, which was not really a common look for Malia Tate. He wanted to keep her safe, protect her, guard her. He was suddenly filled with a sneaking feeling that he wasn't familiar with: hope.

He actually _hoped_ that Malia would come to forgive him, would be a part of his pack, of his new family. Maybe he could work it so that she wouldn't even know that he betrayed Scott. Would she have to know? His arm tightened around her automatically at the thought of losing her.

Her brown eyes turned to him, reflecting his hidden wounds and new hopes. "Theo? Are you okay?" she whispered.

"I'm fine," he whispered back, pulling her close. He rested his cheek on her head and tried not to think of how couple-y they looked. "I'm good."

He melted back into the moment and let himself enjoy it, shut off the worries. That was what was nice about being with Malia, why they both did this. It wasn't a commitment, it wasn't a job, it was just them.

As the credits rolled, Malia stared at the TV and pulled herself upright. "So it was just humans? That's disgusting!"

"That's why I hate people." Theo shook his head, scowling with disgust. "They're sick. They're more monstrous than we are and we are monsters."

"Not all monsters do monstrous things," Malia whispered.

Theo slowly looked down at her. "What was that?"

"Not all monsters do monstrous things," she said. "Lydia told me that. Just because we're categorized as monsters-"

"Humans do monstrous things," Theo replied. "All the time, Malia. They do horrible, twisted, disgusting things. Are we supposed to just let them walk?"

Malia raised herself up higher, folding her legs underneath her. "We weren't put here to purge the world, Theo."

"That's right." His voice was nearly scathing. "I forgot you believe in a higher power."

Malia's eyes narrowed. "Even if I didn't," she said slowly, "I'm not the person who gets to decide who lives and who dies. Who am I to say what qualifies a monster?"

Theo sighed and leaned back against the couch, his eyes dark and angry. Malia suddenly realized, more than ever, how much darkness plagued the mysterious boy. He had seen something, she didn't know what, but she wanted to. She wanted to understand and it was a new feeling.

Malia leaned forward, gently taking his jaw in her hand and turning his face so that he was looking at her. "My father tried to play God. My mother plays a dark angel taking orders. I want to be different, Theo. That." She pointed at the TV. "Those people? I want to be better than that. I don't want to be the cause of a horror movie. I want to be the girl that stands over the killers' bodies at the end."

Theo stared at her for a long moment before he whispered, "You're a fucking dream," and kissed her with such fierceness that Malia leaned backwards slightly before arching into him. She broke the kiss and looked at him for a moment before pulling her shirt over her head and discarding it. He watched her hungrily and his lips found hers again hungrily. She lay herself back on the couch as he came over her, his torso sliding up between her knees. Malia's hands found the hem of his shirt and she pulled it over his head.

His lips found hers again, his hand coming and taking hers, fingers intertwining, and slid it over the couch above their heads.

 


	5. Sleeping With a Friend

"You!" Kira fell into pace beside Malia in the hallway, throwing her arm around the other girl's waist. "We have to talk."

  Malia cocked an eyebrow and looked at her. "Did I do something?"

  "Oh, you." Lydia joined them, her arm going around Malia's shoulders. "You are in trouble."

  Malia looked between them. "I don't know what I..." She trailed off, waiting for them to explain.

  Lydia leaned into her ear and whispered, "We know."

  Something dropped from her heart into her stomach as a thought hit her. Did they _know_ know? Did they somehow find out about Theo? "I... Know what?"

  Lydia grinned at Kira, who winked. Malia was growing anxious, which was making her irritated. She was just about to snap at them to tell her what they meant when the girls led her into Mr. Yukimura's classroom. Malia's mouth dropped open at the sight as the girls released her and bounded ahead, stopping beside each other and spreading their arms.

"Happy birthday!" they said together. Lydia grinned at her excitedly, her eyes absolutely beaming. Kira bit her lip as she grinned, still maintaining her shy look.

There was a banner stretched above the white board, streamers and bright colored pieces of paper everywhere. On the announcement board there was a pinned picture of a coyote puppy, which made Malia smile against her will. How fitting.

"She's smiling!" Kira clapped her hands together and bounced once, looking absolutely thrilled. "Look at her!"

  Malia ducked her head and slowly moved forward, overcome with emotion that she didn't know that she could feel. Her first birthday since she'd become human again. She wrapped her two friends in a hug, wondering why the hell she felt close to tears. It was stupid. It wasn't that big of a-

  "We love you Malia," Kira whispered.

   Malia felt her body shake, much to her surprise, and tears slowly and gently fell from her eyes. It was stupid. Birthdays were stupid, that was why she hadn't told anyone. She had actually forgotten.

  "Oh, honey." Lydia's arms tightened around her. "It's okay." Her voice was choked with a small laugh, but it was the kind of laugh that told Malia that she was trying not to cry as well.

  "I shouldn't be crying," Malia muttered, reaching up to wipe her eyes. "I don't even... I mean, come on. Birthdays aren't that important."

  "This is your first birthday in a very long time," Lydia whispered. "It's okay. It can be a big deal. In fact." She pulled away and grinned at Malia. "See, we thought about throwing you a big party tonight."

  "But then we remembered that you really aren't that huge on crowds. I mean, they're okay for dancing and stuff but...." Kira continued.

  "They aren't your favorite," Lydia went on. "So."

  "We realized that Lydia's mom is out of town."

  "And so we're going to have a girls' night. Just the three of us, staying up all night."

   "We already ran it by your dad," Kira said quickly.

  Malia let out a small, watery laugh, trying hard not to cry again. "Okay." It was one word, one little word, but it was the hardest thing she had ever said. It was hard to speak. She hadn't ever known that you could be this overcome with a positive emotion before. But she was. She was loved, truly loved.

  The doors opened and other students started filing in. Malia quickly wiped her eyes again, just to make sure. The last thing she wanted was people seeing that. A pair of hands clapped her shoulders, grasping them. "Happy birthday."

  Malia turned to see Stiles, Scott beside him. She eyed him for a second. They hadn't had a whole lot of interaction since the breakup. Things hadn't been _weird_ so much as... different. It took only a moment for her to make up her mind on how to act. She wrapped him in a hug, pulling him close. "Thank you."

  Stiles seemed surprised but not unhappy. His arms laced around her. "You're welcome," he said quietly.

He released her a moment later and Scott pulled her into a hug, saying a soft, "Happy birthday Malia."

   "We knew you wouldn't want a big deal made," Kira said, as if reading her mind.

  "But we decided that was a stupid plan," Lydia continued.

  Malia laughed softly and rolled her eyes at how very much like her friends that sounded. "I'm sure," she told them. "Can we please get that down before...?"

  "Hell no," Stiles said, going to his seat. "Kira had to bribe her dad to get that up there all class."

  "How did you know that?" Kira stared at him.

  Stiles stared back. "It's true?!"

  Kira laughed. "No. I just wanted to see your face. I just asked him nicely and made him breakfast."

  Stiles scoffed. "Food is bribery for a man."

Malia snorted and shook her head. This group may be strange, but it was hers.

Class went as normal, except for her friends occasionally passing her a note that said _happy birthday_ or _it's your birthday!_ When they parted ways for their next class, Malia went to her locker, still feeling numb with disbelief. They remembered her birthday. She even forgot. But they remembered.

  Malia opened her locker and grabbed the books for her next class. Before she could register what had happened, or even that something had happened, someone grabbed her from behind. Malia didn't have time to react before she was dragged into an empty classroom.

  She used all of her strength to throw her attacker over her head and immediately she was on him, her knee in his throat, her teeth and claws out.

  Theo grinned up at her and Malia slowly let herself relax. What the hell was he thinking? Was he crazy? She opened her mouth to tell him off when he leaned up, pressing his lips against hers for just a moment. He pulled away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  "Happy birthday," he whispered.

  Malia looked down at him, eyes narrowed, hoping that her face let him know that she was not amused. But she didn't want to admit that she wasn't really angry. She couldn't be. _Theo Raeken_ remembered her birthday. And that shocked her.

  Did she even tell him? No. She didn't. She barely even remembered.

  "How did you know?" she asked quietly as his hands slid to her hips. He wasn't making a move or feeling her up, he was just... _with_ her.

  "Scott." He smiled at her softy. "He mentioned it in passing."

  Malia slowly rolled onto the ground beside him, laying on her back. "Ah."

  Theo looked at her with a look that was almost fondness. But Malia quickly brushed it away. It wasn't- couldn't be- fondness. They weren't anything but sex. They had to stay that way. But she didn't get up.

   She stayed.

  "I have class," he sighed beside her. He didn't move either.

  Malia gave a small smile. "Me too."

  Theo looked at her, his face breaking into a grin- that lit up grin that Malia was growing to truly adore appreciate. "So... While we're ditching anyway, do you want your present?"

  Malia grinned and pushed herself up. "I could go for that," she murmured, planting her lips on his neck. She could feel him shudder under her lips.

  "Mmmm, as nice as that is, that's not what I meant."

  Malia jerked away immediately and sat up, feeling too taken aback to do anything else. "I'm sorry, what?"

  Theo grinned at her and pushed himself into a sitting position. "I have a gift."

  "A gift?" She blinked and raised her eyebrows, her dubious tone obvious to even her. "Are you serious?"

   Theo gave a small laugh and pulled his backpack to him from where he'd dropped it when he pulled her in the room. "Deadly."

   "We don't do gifts," she said.

  Theo looked up at her, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Malia Tate," he said slowly, sternly even, but his tone was still playful. Malia very nearly rolled her eyes. How was he so much like a puppy? "The whole point of this is that we don't abide by rules."

   That rendered her with no argument so she fell silent and crossed her arms instead. Theo pulled out a small, wrapped package and handed it to her. "And here we go."

   Malia hesitated before slowly pulling the paper off. And there was a soft to the touch, new, slouchie beanie, just like the ones that she liked to wear. She looked up at him and gave a small smile. She opened her mouth to say thank you when he shook his head.

   "Not yet," he said. "There's more. In the hat."

  Perplexed, Malia opened the hat up and, sure enough, sitting in there was a smaller wrapped package. She gave him an amused look as she pulled it out. "Oh, really?"

   "Hell, yeah." He grinned at her and leaned back. "Theo Raeken doesn't half ass anything."

  Malia gave a small snort as she opened it. Inside the package was a pendant. It was bronze and in the shape of a coyote. She looked up at him, lips parting slowly. Theo smiled softly. "What do you think?" he asked gently.

  Malia lookd down at it again before looking back. "I like it," she whispered, nearly at a loss for words. "Thank you, Theo."

  He smiled. "May I?"

  Malia nodded and Theo took it from her slowly, moving so thathe was sitting behind her. "This leads me to the real gift," he said softly. Before Malia could ask, he whispered, "No matter what, Coyote, I _will_ help you turn back. Happy birthday." His lips grazed her cheek.

  ~ ~

  Malia spent the afternoon with her father, who was more emotional than she had seen him in a long time. He gazed at her a lot, as if he couldn't believe that his daughter was truly home for her birthday, that she was really with him.

   She wasn't really sure if she should go to Lydia's after all but he insisted that he was fine, that she should enjoy time with her friends. She wasn't positive, but she could have sworn that he had teared up as he told her how much they loved her and how excited they had been when they posed the idea.

  And so she went.

  The moment she walked into the door, her eyes flew wide open at the decorations that Lydia and Kira had strewn all over the house. She gave a small chuckle before the girls both hurtled into the room, throwing their arms around her.

  Malia would have fallen over if she were human and had never been more thankful that she wasn't. Her arms went around them slowly, pulling them close to her.

   "How's your day been?" Kira asked.

  "Fine."

"Please tell me it's more than fine," Lydia said. "It's your birthday! This is huge!"

Malia grinned between them. "It's not huge. It's a birthday."

"Another birthday that you survived to," Lydia pointed out. "That is big."

Malia's thoughts flashed to the girl that she had never gotten to meet but who haunted the group. Allison. She hadn't made it to her next birthday. Malia nodded. "You're right."

"So." Kira nudged them both, keeping them on a lighthearted path. "We have a celebration to get to." She bounced into the kitchen. Lydia glanced at Malia and gave a small grin, cocking her head in the direction Kira had gone in. She led the way in the kitchen.

In an hour, there were plates piled in the sink, Tv dinner boxes spread everywhere, and a billion deserts laid among the counter space. the girls were laying on the living room floor, music blaring. Lydia was staring at the ceiling. "I want to do something contrived."

Malia glanced at her, furrowing her brows. "Okay?" she asked tentatively. "What exactly is it?"

"Truth or dare."

Kira looked at her, her face drawn into a quizzical expression. "You're not serious?"

"I am." Lydia pushed herself onto her stomach and crossed her arms on the floor, propping herself up. In that moment, she truly looked like Ariel from the Little Mermaid. "Face it, every group of girls has to play it at one point. It's basically girl law." Her green eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Fine. I'm in." Malia quickly moved into a sitting position, surprising even herself with how quickly she got on board the plan. "Truth or dare."

Kira shrugged. "Okay. Yeah, it sounds fun. Let's do it. Who starts?"

"Birthday girl," Lydia said, turning her head to her. "Truth or dare."

Malia eyed her, silently weighing the options in her mind. Dare could be anything in the world, but she wasn't afraid. Truth was more limited, it seemed safer. So here was the real question: play it safe or live dangerously? Theo flashed in her mind. "Dare."

~ ~

"Lydia, truth or dare." Malia rolled onto her stomach, pulling one of the many pillows surrounding them to her chest. They'd been at it for hours, somehow having yet to tire of a game that should have been boring. Somehow, everything was funnier in this moment. Looking back, Malia knew it was because she was with her friends, the two people that she trusted above anyone in the world.

"Truth," Lydia said after a moment.

"Are you in love with Stiles?"

The question shot out of Malia's mouth before she could stop it. Although a part of her wished she could take it back, the majority of her wanted to know. It was almost like a need. Only she wasn't sure why. What had brought on this explainable, unstoppable need to know about Lydia and Stiles?

Lydia sucked in a breath, looking shell shocked, completely taken aback. She bit her lower lip as she looked back at her friend. "I... Malia..."

"it's okay." Malia gave her a small smile. "You're my friend, Lydia."

Lydia hesitated and was quiet for a long moment before replying, "Yes."

Malia was hit with a wave of emotion that quite nearly startled her. It was warmth, love, compassion. All emotions that had been the hardest for Malia to figure out when she had first become human. "It's okay," she said gently, because Lydia looked like she might be close to tears. "Lydia, I'm happy."

Lydia stared at her. "You're what?"

Malia smiled. "I'm happy. I love you. I love him, just in a different way than I first thought I did. It's okay. I want you to be happy and I'm not blind. It's Stiles. And that's okay. Consider this my blessing."

Before Malia could even register what was happening, Lydia was on top of her, squeezing the life out of her. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"You're welcome," Malia choked out, trying not to laugh. When Lydia finally let her go, Malia looked over at Kira, who was smiling at them. These two girls were hers. They were Malia's and they always would be. Once again, she was hit with a wave of affection that she wasn't quite prepared for. "I need to tell you two something. And I'm sorry I didn't do it before."

Lydia eyed her, concern immediately taking over her features. "Are you okay?"

"I am." Malia eyed them both carefully, unsure of her decision to be honest. She wanted to, but was it smart? "I am. But I need you to believe me on that. I'm okay. You don't need to stop this or intervene or protect me. It's my choice."

"You're really scaring me now," Kira said slowly.

Malia took a deep breath. "I'm sleeping with Theo."

Both girls stared at her. Lydia recoiled slightly, not in disgust but surprise. She looked almost as if Malia had physically thrown something at her, maybe a food substance. She looked like she was trying to digest it, trying to decide if it had tasted good or not.

Kira still looked shocked. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open. She looked more as if she had just seen a streaker running across Lydia's living room. Yet, somehow, Kira was the one who found words first. "You're okay?" she finally asked tentatively.

Malia nodded. "I'm fine. It's not even a rebound, really. It has nothing to do with Stiles. It's not a cry for help. It just is. I don't want everyone to know. But I wanted you two to know."

Lydia slowly nodded her head. "Are you sure it's not rebound? That's what Aiden was for me, at least partly."

Malia shook her head. "No. It's not about Stiles. It's about Theo." she saw Lydia start to open her mouth again and she quickly cut her off, "No, I am not in love with him. It's not about that either."

Lydia and Kira exchanged looks, not judging or worried. They were more curious than anything. Slowly, Kira said, "So... Then what is it about?"

Malia fell quiet, letting the question roll around her head for a few minutes. What was Theo Raeken? She answered before she had even realized she had found the answer. "He's my friend."


	6. Force of Nature

Theo shut his car door and turned toward the high school, trying not to let his eyes droop. He did not want to do school today. He was absolutely exhausted.

After a night of tossing and turning and very little sleep, Theo did not want to sit at a desk and pretend to listen while really trying to plan how to get his pack and, the newest goal, how to get Malia to join him.

Malia.

He wanted to turn around right then as thoughts of the gorgeous coyote hit him again. He groaned and forced himself to the steps of the school.

He had been up all night thinking about her, missing her, feeling desperate for not just her touch but her sarcastic wit. And that made him more than a little uncomfortable.

"Hey. We need to talk."

Theo tried not to stiffen as Lydia strode to him, purpose radiating off of her. "About?" He paused, waiting for her to join him. They fell into step beside each other, Theo trying not to mentally whine about how he did not have energy for this.

"Malia."

Theo froze and stopped dead in his tracks, staring at her. Malia as in... As in she knew? She couldn't know. Did she know?

"Yes," Lydia said, almost sort of gently. "I know, Theo."

Theo's gut gave a twist. Malia told. So.. What did that mean? Was that a sign that she cared enough to share? Or... Or that she thought so little of it that she didn't care.

He could have sworn at himself. What did it matter?

Lydia's eyes drilled into him as she suddenly turned in front of him. Her hand came to rest on his chest, her eyes growing hard. "Do not hurt her. I will gut you, Theo."

With such a vicious threat coming from such a small girl, Theo might have laughed. But he knew Lydia Martin and he was looking right at the dark and powerful glare on her eyes. "I won't," he said, the words coming out meaningful and heavy. Because he did mean them.

But...

No. He couldn't mean them. Because he was bound to hurt her.

Lydia eyes him. "Listen, Theo, I don't know what to make of you. Stiles doesn't trust you and that means something to me. But Malia does and that means something to me too. I want to trust you. But I need a reason. Do you understand me? Let Malia be the reason." And with that she walked away, leaving a stone in Theo's gut.

-

  With a groan, Theo set the weights aside and sat up. He pulled off his amazingly sweaty shirt and tossed it to the ground. He had worked out harder than usual, all to get Malia out of his head; it hadn't worked.

He let out a shaky breath and lowered his head into his hands, pulling them through his now damp-with-sweat hair. "Fuck," he whispered breathlessly, one of his hands gripping a handful of his hair in a death grip.

 Letting out a shaky breath, Theo tore himself out of his seat, feeling the need to move pumping through his veins. He was pacing like a caged animal- a coyote? Theo gritted his teeth and leapt up to grab the raised bar, throwing himself into a series of pullups.  _Forget her, forget her, forget her._  But the harder he tried to get her out of his head, the more forceful she was about staying in. Was it supposed to be this hard? Was she supposed to make his life this hard? He was supposed to be strong, to not be tempted, to not care that he was going to destroy her pack so that he could build his own. And yet, the thought of causing her even a single tear made his heart feel wretched. 

  The sound of footsteps made Theo freeze mid-pull up. The door opened and Malia's scent hit him like a brick before she walked inside the gym. He dropped down into a crouch and looked up at her. Malia raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Cocky pose, there," she stated.

  Theo got to his feet and moved around her, reaching down to scoop his shirt off the floor. "What's up?"

  Malia looked at him, puzzled, for a moment before her expression turned blank. "You forgot," she stated in an emotionless voice. That voice cut into him like a razor. It was her walls shooting back up. Her defenses arming themselves. His mind raced to remember whatever he had forgotten.

   "Shit." Theo ran his fingers through his hair again. "Coyote training. No problem, yeah, let's do it."

  "We don't have-"

  Theo grabbed Malia by the hand and pulled her to him, silencing her with a quick, soft kiss. The fact that he was softly giving her a peck like a boyfriend would do hit him like a brick so he nipped her lower lip as he pulled away, trying to bring it back to the rough, animal insticts. "Let's do it," he said softly.

  Malia's lips quirked into a small smile. "You smell like disgusting man."

  Theo wrinkled his nose and grabbed his shirt off the floor. "This isn't attractive?" he asked with mock shock and horror.

  Malia laughed and rolled her eyes. "I hope you have a clean shirt."

  He grinned and threw it in his gym bag. "Nope." He grabbed his sweater and pulled it on, zipping it up most of the way. "This'll work." Malia grinned at him and shook her head, leading the way out of the gymnasium.

\--

"Anything?"

"Not yet."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, you're talking so obviously you're human." Theo sat on the trunk of his car, eyebrows raised as he watched her.

Malia's eyes snapped open and she glared at him. "I don't need your snark. I'm focusing as hard as I can. I can only think about an anchor so hard."

  "Whoa, whoa." Theo leaned forward, pushing himself off the trunk just slightly. "You're thinking of your anchor?"

  She looked at him like he was an idiot. "Yes."

"That's the problem." Theo leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Don't think about your anchor. Your anchor keeps you in control."

"That's the point."

"No, that's _my_ point. Malia, to change shape completely, you're giving into the animal. The point is to be in control without being in control."

"How do you do that?" She looked aggravated, as if she could rip out someone's throat. Theo couldn't help but think that that would help her make the shift.

"That's the question isn't it?"

"You can do it."

"I can. But it's hard to explain. It's a balance you have to find for yourself."

"Then what are we doing here?" she growled.

"Practicing." At the word, Malia couldn't stop the reluctant smile from spreading across her face.

The sight made Theo's heart warm immediately. It was the most beautiful thing  he had ever seen.

-

"You're getting better." 

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not. You're driving really well."

Malia threw him a doubting look that was very close to annoyed as she pulled into her driveway. "Hardly."

Theo gave her a small smile. "Malia Hale. You just did that without even looking. And it was perfect."

In a single heartbeat, her face had gone completely blank. "Yeah. Thanks." She threw the car into park and got out. "See you." She slammed the door shut and started for the door.

"Malia?" He blinked after her. "Malia!" He got out and jogged after her, marveling at the sudden mood change. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy." She opened the screen door, pausing only to dig in her pocket for her house key. "I'll see you tomorrow. Go on home."

"Maybe I don't want to go home."

"Well, I don't want you here so you'll have to figure something out." She unlocked the door and walked inside.

"Where's your dad?" Theo followed her without waiting for permission. What the hell had he done to piss her off? There was no way that he was going to leave without finding out.

"Oh, Henry _Tate_? Work."

Theo eyed her. "Do you always say your dad's name like that?"

"My mistake. I'm just having trouble keeping track of who's supposed to be my dad. Hale or Tate."

"Malia, I don't-"

"Then think real hard while you _get out._ "

Suddenly it hit him like a brick. Guilt hit him like a tidal wave, engulfing him completely. "I'm an idiot. Malia, I'm sorry."

"I don't care. Just go."

"I didn't mean to call you Hale."

She rolled her eyes and started up the stairs. "It's who I am. A Hale."

"It's not who you are." Theo followed her up the stairs, his heart racing. He had to fix this. All that mattered was fixing this with her. " _Malia_."

"What?" She spun around at the top of the stairs to glare at him, shooting daggers at him. If she were in coyote form, her hackles would be raised. "Are you ever going to get the hint? Just go! I don't want you here! It's not because I want an apology or even because I think you wronged me. I just don't want you here. I don't _like_ you Theo. I just use you as a distraction."

"Practice," he whispered.

"What?"

"You use me as practice." He wasn't sure what was so important about that specification, but it mattered. It felt like life or death in that moment.

She stared at him. "How is that any better?" When he didn't reply, she threw her hands in the air. "Fine! I use you as practice! Whatever! Just go!"

"No."

"Fu-"

"Just wait. Before you curse me out, let me have my say. And if you still want me gone I'll go."

She watched him for a second before heaving a sigh and walking into her room. She didn't shut the door so he assumed that was permission to stay. He walked after her and slowly shut her door behind him.

"You're not a Hale," he said. She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak. Theo held up his hand. "Hold it. I'm not done. Hale is _what_ you are."

She stared at him. "That makes me feel so much better," she said dryly. "Now if you're done-"

"But it's not _who_ you are. You're a Tate because you _chose_ to be a Tate. You're not a Hale, you're a Tate. You were born a Hale and you became something else. So, by my reasoning, Hale is what you are, but Tate is who you are."

They fell into silence.

Malia stared at him for several heartbeats (Theo knew; he was counting hers in the silence). Then she rose to her feet and crossed the room to him. Her arms went across his neck as if it was the most natural thing in the world and her lips found his, gently pressing into him. He pulled her closer, his lips deepening the kiss between them.

It was a different kiss for them.

Instead of being as passionate and fiery as the worst war between the Trojans and the Spartans, it was as soft and gentle, yet still passionate, as the waves after a rain.

Malia's arms went up and Theo found the hem of her shirt, breaking the kiss for only the moment that it took to get her shirt over her head. She backed up to the bed and he gently eased them onto it. Her hands found his shirt and tugged it over his head. It landed somewhere, but he didn't care where. It could have burned in a fire for all he cared. He didn't need it in this moment, and this moment was not only all that mattered, it was all that would ever matter.

-

Malia led the way down the stairs, laughing, her hand sliding down the railing. Theo couldn't help but think that it was like an entrance scene in a movie. The thought made him smile. She was beautiful, perfect in every way.

He felt his eyes widen slightly and tried too shake the thought away. No one was perfect. Everyone was flawed, foul, dirty. That had to include Malia. But somehow it didn't, not even close.

"Malia? Who's here?" Mr. Tate looked up from the couch, beer in hand. His eyes widened when he saw Theo. "Oh. I was expecting Kira or Lydia."

Malia bit her lip and glanced at Theo, who was thinking (once again) that she had never looked sexier. "Oh. This is Theo. He was helping me with Trig."

"Ah." Mr. Tate eyed him and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Theo shook it. What surprised him was that he meant it.

"Crap. Your jacket. I'll be right back." Malia jogged up the steps.

"You have a great daughter," Theo said. He hadn't planned on saying anything at all; it had just slipped out.

"And you better not hurt her. You understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"She's been hurt enough, that girl."

"Yes, sir."

"Can I trust you not to hurt her?"

"Yes, sir." Theo glanced at the stairs. "I can feel my phone going off in my pocket. My dad's probably freaking out so just tell Malia that I'll get my jacket tomorrow." He went out the door before waiting for a response.

He couldn't stand the idea that Malia would smell the sadness off of him.

Because he had just made a promise that he knew he would break. She would find out that he wasn't who he said he was.

Best case scenario that would be the only thing he would do to hurt her.

Worst case scenario he would get her killed. Or be forced to do it himself if she stood in the way.


End file.
